COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 20
Click here for updates for Jan. 21.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and COVID-19 in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count tops 690,000
At least 690,912 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 8,200 have died since March, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 6,415 new COVID-19 cases, up from 4,058 the day before. Officials released two days of data on Tuesday because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Sixty-one coronavirus-related deaths were reported Tuesday.
At least 3,740 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Wednesday. That’s down from the 3,982 patients reported Tuesday but an increase from 2,783 a month ago.
As of Monday, the latest day for which data are available, 11.8% of coronavirus tests came back positive. Health officials say the number should be about 5% to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Harris Teeter to offer vaccines
Harris Teeter will offer the coronavirus vaccine once it becomes available to pharmacies, the Matthews-based grocery store chain announced Wednesday.
The free vaccines will be available by appointment only at all 211 Harris Teeter pharmacies “in a phased approach based on eligibility requirements following federal and state guidelines,” The Charlotte Observer reported.
Patients will be required to show a valid driver’s license or government-issued ID to receive a vaccine.
A limited number are available as of Wednesday at South Carolina stores for health care workers and individuals age 70 and older, Harris Teeter said.
450,000 people vaccinated in NC
North Carolina has vaccinated 450,000 people against the coronavirus, Dr. Mandy Cohen, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services secretary, said Tuesday.
The announcement came as Cohen and Gov. Roy Cooper toured a mass vaccination site at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Friday Center. Cohen said the state is working to administer all the doses allotted by the federal government.
North Carolina has so far lagged behind other states in its vaccination rate, The News & Observer reported.
“One of the reasons ... North Carolina was a little slower than other states, (is) because the decision was made to give every single county doses the first time,” Cooper said. “And when you do that, to be equitable, there are going to be some who do not respond as well.”
But Cooper said the state is making “significant” progress and there will be a marked increase in vaccinations this week. In the Triangle, several counties have started distributing the shots to older adults.
Nearly 50 Duke students test positive for coronavirus
At least 76 students and staff at Duke University tested positive for COVID-19 last week before the start of the spring semester, officials said.
More than 18,000 students were tested before they could move into dorms on campus, go to class or participate in on-campus activities, The News & Observer reported. Duke reported 49 students had tested positive on Tuesday as part of its weekly coronavirus testing results.
Many of those students who tested positive were returning to Duke from other states with a higher prevalence of the coronavirus, the university said.
At least 3,000 tests were administered to faculty and staff. Duke officials said mass testing will continue throughout the semester.
Prisons release inmates without testing for COVID-19
People leaving prisons were not being tested for the coronavirus early in the pandemic, state prison officials confirmed.
John Bull, a spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Public Safety, told The News & Observer in an email that people leaving prisons “were not tested on their release in April,” saying routine pre-release testing did not begin until January.
Nacola McNeil said she was released from the North Carolina Correctional Institute for Women in April to help keep the virus from spreading but was not tested before she reported to a halfway house where she would serve the last 30 days of her sentence. She was hospitalized for a pain in her hip and tested positive for COVID-19 a few days later.
“I was sharing a room with a bunch of ladies. By the grace of God, no one else got sick,” she said, speaking of the reentry facility. “I should have been tested before leaving prison.”
UNC closes sporting events to the public
Spring sporting events at UNC-Chapel Hill will be closed to the public, the athletic department announced Tuesday.
The policy continues what was already in effect from the fall and limits attendance to two family members per athlete.
North Carolina previously limited attendance at outdoor stadiums with seats for more than 10,000 fans to 7% capacity, which allowed for 3,500 fans at Kenan Stadium for football games at UNC.
But none of the spring sports venues for baseball, soccer and lacrosse fit into that category, The News & Observer reported.
Mecklenburg County records youngest death
A child under the age of 18 is now the youngest person in Mecklenburg County to die from COVID-19, health officials announced Tuesday.
They would not share any additional demographic information or reveal if the person had underlying health conditions, The Charlotte Observer reported. Officials say it marks North Carolina’s second ever “pediatric death” related to the coronavirus, officials say.
Hospitalizations and the positivity rate in Mecklenburg are declining even as COVID-19 deaths approach 700.
“It’s a little too early to see if this is going to be a real improvement, but we’re encouraged by this,” Novant Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest said Tuesday.
The downward trends could be indicative of the holiday surge ending, but Priest said the coronavirus “remains a real threat.”
Two NC legislators test positive after hunting trip
Two North Carolina legislators have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two days: Rep. Brian Turner, a Democrat from Asheville, and Sen. Bill Rabon, a Republican from Winnabow.
Rep. Jason Saine, a Republican from Lincolnton, told The News & Observer that Turner and Rabon were on a duck hunting trip with several other lawmakers.
Rabon said he was experiencing cold-like symptoms Monday before he got tested but did not have any symptoms as of Tuesday. Turner said he’s had headaches, fatigue and congestion and plans to isolate from his family for the next 10 days. He plans to return to the General Assembly on Jan. 27, when the House session convenes.
Turner has advocated for wearing face masks, washing hands and social distancing, and he said his family has done its best to stay home.
“The 3Ws work, but they work best when everyone does it,” he said in a Facebook post. “My mask protects you, your mask protects me.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 7:05 AM.
